According to the councillor of Ward 16, Arthur Terblanche, the residents and himself have reached out to the Mangaung Metro Municipality on numerous occasions over the past year but have received no assistance.

On 15 November the OFM News crew visited the suburb and found that although the municipality is supposed to collect rubbish on Tuesdays, the domestic bins were still uncollected at households at 13.30. Terblanche says this is a major contributor to the illegal dumping.

Connie Teis, a resident of the suburb, says people within the area are also contributors. Teis’ home is in front of a park that has dilapidated as a result of not being fenced. It is now used as a makeshift dump site. She says community members stole the palisade fence that was around the park.

Terblanche says this was reported two years ago and the police have not done anything about it.

Transcript: “I reported this two years ago and now every time it just becomes worse - bigger and bigger [illegal dumping]. And now they [illegal dumpers] are using a quarter of the street. It is this whole area [of Heidedal].”

The Mangaung Metro Municipality has been contacted for comment.

OFM News/Thandi Ntobela

Videographer: Josca Human